Developer: Midway
    Title: Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.
    Genre: Fighting
There’s certainly no shortage of fighting games for the Playstation, and Midway has helped see to that with the release of Bio F.R.E.A.K.S. Bio F.R.E.A.K.S is in the tradition of Mortal Kombat in terms of the sheer amount of blood and gore, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The game Bio F.R.E.A.K.S really reminds me if is the ill-fated arcade game Time Killers, which featured odd characters wielding deadly weapons and plenty of bloodshed. The storyline for Bio F.R.E.A.K.S, not that it’s that important, is your basic post apocalyptic script. America has broken up into fifty independent states after a techno-industrial civil war, and that has brought about numerous varieties of mutant mechanical-human hybrids. Anyway, the important thing is how Bio F.R.E.A.K.S stacks up to its competition, so let’s get right to that.

After watching a pretty bland intro, you find yourself at the main select screen. There you can choose from the Arcade, Vs., Team Battle, Survival, Practice, and Options mode. I’ve explained what all these modes entail in previous reviews, so if you need to, you can refer to them by going to the archives section of Collector Times Online.

Bio F.R.E.A.K.S has eight selectable characters, each being very bizarre and sci-fi-ish. I think there are also a few hidden characters, but I’m not sure about that. All of the characters in Bio F.R.E.A.K.S have an extensive list of moves, and each character can string some of those moves together to form combos. Each character can also fly for a short time, and they all have projectiles of some sort. The flying comes in handy because of the fantastic stage design in Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.

There are a total of ten stages in Bio F.R.E.A.K.S, nine of them being actual stages with one being a training stage. The stages themselves are referred to as Battle Pits, and of the nine actual stages, there are three easy, two medium, and four hard. Each stage has deadly obstacles like lava pits and industrial metal grinders, and the easy and medium stages have obstacles such as these that are less dangerous than those found in the hard Battle Pits. This ads another element to the game because you not only must contend with your opponent, but the stage itself. Now, as I said, the stage design is fantastic. The reason I say this is because the designers of Bio F.R.E.A.K.S decided to make the stages multi leveled and totally 3D. That is, by using the flying ability that each character has, you can fly up to platforms above the ground, and to other little places throughout each stage. I thought this was really cool, and it made for a fun game when playing with another person. You could almost endlessly run away, but nevertheless, it was fun.

When all is said and done, the things Bio F.R.E.A.K.S has going for it don’t make up for the things it’s lacking. Bio F.R.E.A.K.S is definitely something different, and the character design and stage innovations are all very cool, but the gameplay simply isn’t there. The characters in Bio F.R.E.A.K.S feel clunky and awkward, and the combo system just isn’t that good. I would definitely say that Bio F.R.E.A.K.S is worth a rental, and some might even enjoy it for a long time as a two player game, but as a one player game, Bio F.R.E.A.K.S has a very short lifespan. Rent it or pass on it.

    Developer: InterAct
    Genre: Peripheral
    Title: UltraRacer

The UltraRacer from InterAct is essentially an evolution of those old rotary controllers some of you may remember from well over a decade ago. However, the UltraRacer has been specifically designed for driving games, and it definitely has plenty of options.

The most prominent aspect of the UltraRacer is definitely the sleek design. It looks nothing like most controllers, but its design lends itself well to the games it was meant to be used with. There are a total of fifteen buttons on the UltraRacer, as well as the Analog Mini Wheel and the Throttle Control Trigger, which is located on the underside of the controller. On the face of the wheel you’ll find the L and R buttons, and right below the wheel are four digital direction control buttons. There’s also two fire buttons, a pair of special function buttons which are commonly used to function as the break and gas pedals, a program button, a start/pause button, and a swap control switch, which is on the side of the controller. Along with the many buttons is an LED display which indicates program options. The program button makes a beep when it is pressed, and that is followed by the LED display lighting up. All the buttons on the UltraRacer can be relocated and swapped around except for the "analog L", "I", "II", "start", and "set/program". The "I" and "II" buttons can be swapped using the Swap Control Switch located on the side of the controller. The Analog Mini Wheel is two inches in diameter, and is auto centering while also having a forty-five degree rotation. It also happens to be wrapped in soft rubber, so it’s very easily gripped and manipulated.

I’d have to say that I personally prefer to use an actual steering wheel with gas and brake pedals for driving games, or else a controller that happens to have analog sticks attached. However, this controller is very well designed and will surely appeal to some people. It’s solidly constructed, and it definitely works well with whatever driving game you choose to play it with. If you’re not into big steering wheels, and analog sticks don’t quite work for you, the UltraRacer is definitely a controller you should take a spin with.

    Developer: Naki
    Genre: Peripheral
    Title: Remote Control PSR-2

What’s the one thing about regular controllers that most people hate? Why, that would be cords of course. They get tangled up, you can trip over them, and they confine you to a certain distance. Let’s face it, almost everyone would rather have no cords than cords, but the thing that usually keeps people from buying wireless controllers is the fact that they are notorious for problems. Well, that hasn’t stopped Naki from coming out with a wireless controller for the Playstation. Read on to see how it fares.

The Remote Control PSR-2 is a packaged set of two wireless controllers. The pad is well constructed and sports the original Playstation controller design. Each controller has a turbo, slow motion, and clear function, and each controller requires two triple-A batteries to function. All of the four main action buttons on the pad can be set to use the turbo function, meaning that when you utilize the turbo function, it won’t effect each button, but rather just the one or ones you set it to effect. Also, the battery life is pretty good, as a pair of fresh batteries will power the controller for forty hours of use. Another nice feature is the auto power cut off. After the pad has been dormant for one hundred and forty seconds, the power to the pad is cut off. This means that the batteries won’t get drained when the pad isn’t in use. A small infra red sensor is included with the two pads, and it plugs right into the Playstation’s controller port(s). Finally, and most importantly, is how well the pad actually works. As I mentioned earlier, remote control pads are notorious for malfunctioning, and often times they didn’t work as advertised. On the side of the Remote Control PSR-2 box, is a claim that the PSR-2 will operate well at a distance of thirty feet when directly facing the infra red unit, and fourteen feet even when the pad’s sensor isn’t facing the unit. After playing with the pad for quite some time, and pointing it all sorts of directions, I found that it pretty much did what Naki claims it can do. However, I found that the time between when I pressed a button on the pad and the action that resulted from the button press appearing on the screen occasionally weren’t synchronous. To be honest though, this was barely noticeable and didn’t really effect gameplay at all.

If you simply can’t stand cords, and you want additional freedom of movement, I’d definitely suggest you check out the Remote Control PSR-2 from Naki. It’s among the best remote control pad I’ve ever used, and it’d definitely be a good investment.

    Developer: Interact
    Genre: Peripheral
    Title: Barracuda 2 Dual Vibration

The flood of Dual Analog Vibration controllers for the Playstation has begun. Interact, being one the most proliferate and most respected Playstation peripheral manufacturer's, didn't wait long to unleash the Barracuda 2 on the Playstation market. How does it stack it up? Read on and find out.

Having already bought the Sony Dual Shock pad upon its release, I had something with which to compare the Barracuda 2. I immediately noticed that the Barracuda 2 was bigger than the Sony Dual Shock pad, and it felt better in my hands. I attributed this to the fact that the Barracuda 2 is ergonomically designed. Also immediately apparent, was the fact that the Barracuda 2 easily outshined it's Sony counterpart in the options department. The Barracuda 2 comes with an auto fire option, an axis swap switch, a three-tier mode switch, an extra long cord, and the ability to be fully programmed. Definitely not bare bones like the Sony model. Now, a brief explanation of the Three-Tier Mode Switch and the Axis Swap Switch.

The Three-Tier Mode switch allows you, as you might've guessed, to switch between three different modes of usage. In the Standard Digital Pad mode, or the "+" mode, the top L&R buttons aren't used, but the digital pad, both analog sticks, and the four main action buttons are used. All the usable buttons are fully programmable, and they can be programmed as a series of button presses. However, as far as directional control is concerned, both the digital pad and both analog sticks perform the same function in this mode. In the Analog Joystick Mode, or the "II" mode, the digital pad, both analog sticks, and the four main action buttons can be programmed as any other fire button. Unlike the "+" mode though, combination button presses cannot be programmed into a single button. Instead, each usable button can be programmed to perform the function of any other singular button. Finally, in the Analog Pad Mode, or the "OO" mode: in this mode, the L&R buttons can be used and programmed, but as in the "II" mode, combination button presses cannot be programmed into a single button, but instead, can be programmed to perform the function of any other singular button.

The Axis Swap Switch, which is located on the back of the Barracuda 2, swaps the function of the two analog sticks and the integral buttons from right to left or from left to right. This makes the Barracuda 2 a controller that can be easily used by both right and left handed people. When the switch is in the "L-R" position, the two analog sticks and the integral buttons function as most regular controllers do. That is, it's suited for right handed people. When the switch is moved to the "R-L" position, the left analog control stick and the integral buttons will function the same as the right analog stick and integral button of a regular analog stick controller (and vice versa).

Other small nuances of the Barracuda 2 that make it even more appealing, include the recessed faces of the two analog sticks as well as the lengthened cord and the intensity of the vibration feedback. However, the Barracuda 2 has one downfall, and it's a big one. That is, as you can see in the accompanying picture, the directional pad is slightly tilted to the right. This may not seem very significant, but it really throws off your control in games that require it be used. That being said, I can honestly say that for games that don't require the use of the directional pad, the Barracuda 2 is about as good as you can get. Unfortunately though, I can't say I'd recommend the Barracuda 2 over the Sony Dual Shock pad because of the directional pad tilt. It really is that important. More and more games of the new releases for the Playstation are support both the analog and dual shock features of the Barracuda 2, so it still may be a pad you want to consider. All in all though, the Barracuda 2 is a pretty solid pad and one that you'd probably be pretty happy with.

    Developer: InterAct
    Genre: Peripheral
    Title: Mega Memory Card

InterAct produces a wide range of peripherals for many different gaming platforms, so it’s no surprise that they have an extra capacity memory card on the market. The Mega Memory Card has one of the largest capacities of any memory card currently available for the Playstation. It comes complete with a LCD display and two buttons for changing between pages of saved data. Now, most extra capacity memory cards have multiple pages, but the Mega Memory Card has three data banks, each bank containing eight pages storing fifteen saved games per page. That’s a total of twenty-four pages of memory and three hundred and sixty-five individual blocks of memory. The LCD display clearly shows everything you need to know to find all of your saved games. On the display you’ll see the currently selected memory bank, the page that you’re on within that particular bank, an indicator of whether the card is busy, and an error indicator that let’s you know when there has been a swapping error.

As far as any drawbacks, there’s only a few, and one is only potential. The Mega Memory Card is a card that utilizes compressed memory technology. As I stated in my review of Naki’s memory card, there have been a countless number of complaints of inexplicable data loss when using memory cards that utilize compressed memory technology. It is my opinion that the sheer number of complaints does indeed prove that this problem isn’t only happening occasionally, but rather that it’s widespread and should be taken quite seriously by all companies that manufacture these types of memory cards. However, a lot of the problems are due to people misusing their memory card, so I’ll briefly go over proper memory card use. The most critical thing to remember when using your memory card is to make sure that it’s not inserted in the Playstation when you turn the power on or off. If you leave your memory card inserted in the Playstation when turning the power on and off, power surges can delete your saved games, and that can mean hours and hours of progress gone. So, make sure your memory card isn’t inserted when turning on the power, but rather insert it right after you’ve turned the power on. Also, before you turn off your Playstation, pull your memory card out. These simply steps really will help protect the data saved on whatever type of memory card you have. The second problem is the fact that the Mega Memory Card doesn’t fit tightly into the memory card port on the Playstation. This means that the card could slip out at any time, and that’s definitely not something you want to have happen.

Overall though, I think the problems with these compressed capacity memory cards have been overblown, and with proper use, can be virtually avoided. That being said, I think InterAct’s Mega Memory Card is definitely worth consideration, even though it’ll cost you about what a new game would. You’d definitely never need another memory card again though, so I think it’s a pretty good buy.

    Developer: InterAct
    Title: Piranha Pad
    Genre: Peripheral

For those of you out there that want a solid, but basic pad, InterAct may have just what you’re looking for. Many games don’t really require analog sticks and force feedback options, so for a lot of people, a regular pad gets the job done. Enter the Piranha Pad. The Piranha Pad is your basic Playstation controller, with a few little extras.

The one thing above all else that’s most important when selecting a game pad is how it feels in your hands. After all, if a pad doesn’t fit comfortably into your hands, you just aren’t going to use it. Well, the Piranha Pad definitely passes with flying colors in the comfort department. It fits beautifully into my hands, and it feels very sturdy and well built. As for extras, I did say this pad was basic, but it definitely isn’t devoid of features. It’s got a nice auto-fire feature as well as a slow motion one. The auto-fire switch is conveniently located on the front of the pad, while the slow motion switch is on the back of the pad. There’s also a raised directional pad, which is a nice and big.

I can definitely say that if you’re looking for a pad that’ll stand the test of time and you don’t need any fancy extras, the Piranha Pad is a fantastic buy. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

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Copyright © 1998 Ian Johnston

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